1. The general goal of the project
The project aims at investigating the possibility of developing public libraries in multicultural local communities into arenas
- that are experienced as relevant for all groups
- that can function as meeting places in the community promoting social capital
- that fosters the critical mass of cross-cultural communication necessary for democratic processes?
The project relates to concerns regarding social cohesion and integration, community and social capital in the multicultural and digital society. These concerns prove themselves more important every day; cf. the riots sparked by the publishing in Western Europe of the Mohammed cartoons in 2006.
The public library is not only a place where knowledge and culture can be found and distributed, but also a public space. A public space is not a fixed form, but a physical sphere with few limitations concerning those who visit the actual territory. The quality of a public space is a result of many interwoven processes regarding questions of public policy, physical design, and service quality.
As both a public space and a centre of knowledge and culture, the public library has a potential for being a vital part of a local community. It is used by most segments of society and it is a junction where different cultures as well as different spheres of life - education, leisure & entertainment, work and business – meet. This research project is aiming towards understanding the role of the public library in the making of social capital. It is most likely that public spaces are essential in fostering local communities with high quality. The sense of belonging, the nurturing processes of making identity, the social bridging between members of a community, is depending on the existence of mutual ground – virtual and/or physical.
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